aluminum foilWe've all got our eco sins and aluminum foil is one of mine. I do use reusable storage containers, but sometimes a little aluminum foil is what I need. To reduce my carbon footprint, I opt for recycled aluminum foil—If You Care and Reynolds Wrap make theirs from 100 percent recycled aluminum—and I reuse it as many times as I can. I also just stumbled upon these 12 surprising ways to reuse aluminum foil from The Ultimate Cheapskate.

1. Reduce static cling. Throw a crumpled piece of aluminum foil into the dryer to reduce static electricity.

2. Cover doorknobs and other fixtures with foil when painting; wrap brushes and paint rollers in it when you're taking a break.

3. Deter animals. Cats, dogs and other animals don't like aluminum foil. Put it where you don't want them wandering (or peeing). Hang strips of used foil on strings around the garden to deter birds, deer and other unwanted pests.

4. Protect your plants. Wrap a loose collar out of used foil around the stems of young tomato and other plant starts to keep cutworms and other insects at bay.

5. Make your pots and pans shine by scrubbing rust off steel and chrome with a wad of aluminum foil instead of steel wool.

6. Shim a table leg: Ball up some old foil for under the short leg of an uneven table to make it a level field once again.

7. Use foil to sharpen scissors and garden shears. Fold used foil so that it's six to eight layers thick, then cut through it a few times with dull scissors to instantly sharpen them.

For more ways to reuse aluminum foil see 12 Surprising Ways to Reuse Aluminum Foil.

Do you use aluminum foil? Do you reuse it? What kinds of things do you use it for?

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